Charvel Blog

“If you’re like me and don’t want to play guitars that suck, you’re going to like these a lot because they’re the best-sounding, best-playing rock guitars,” promises Steel Panther guitarist Satchel in an exclusive new Charvel video about his Satchel Signature Pro-Mod DK models.

“I love the way they sound,” says Satchel. “They make it easy to rock, especially for heavy metal. When you’re looking for a high-gain, high-saturated tone, these pickups sound amazing.”

In his spec rundown (sometimes on point and sometimes totally false), Satchel also praises its Floyd Rose trem, calling it “one of the best systems ever made” and calls out the “huge benefit” of the heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel.

If you’re not sold on the specs alone, Satchel assures you that the brand-new Slime Green Bengal finish or more familiar Yellow Bengal dressing will emphatically seal the deal.

“Even if you’re not a good guitar player, hang them on your wall,” he says. “These guitars look great in houses and apartments. Hang these in your bathroom or living room — girls go crazy for them!”

Oh, and if you like skateboards, we’ve got one of those with Satchel’s Yellow Bengal print, too! Pester your local authorized Charvel dealers for one of those.

Known for constant antics and humor, Steel Panther’s Satchel also boasted about his impersonation skills during the final show of their European tour. With Greek guitar phenom Gus G. proving support, Satchel informed the crowd that he was about to pull off a wardrobe change and then do “an impersonation of Gus G. doing an impersonation of Randy Rhoads that is going to blow your f***ing minds.”

A few beats later and armed with his signature Charvel Pro-Mod DK, “Satchel” returned to the stage as “Gus G.” and gave a stellar performance of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” which only makes sense given the virtuoso spent nearly a decade as Osbourne’s guitarist.

Steel Panther had a little fun crashing the set of FOX Sports prior to last Thursday night’s NFL game.

In a pre-game commercial, the glam metal jokesters were under the impression they were the headlining act and asked FOX Sports Thursday Night Football hosts Howie Long and Michael Strahan where they could set up their gear. Strahan thwarted their performance and clarified the mix up — it wasn’t Steel Panther playing, but the Steelers vs. Panthers game.

Unfazed by the flub but sensing Long and Strahan were unconvinced of the show’s need of a house band, Satchel tore out a pretty solid cover of the NFL’s theme song on his signature Pro-Mod DK.

When Steel Panther axe man Satchel met up with Charvel for an exclusive video interview, he covered all things guitar including his early guitar roots, some of his favorite players growing up, and most importantly, how his new Charvel Signature Pro-Mod DK model came to be.

After an unsuccessful attempt at football, Satchel began playing guitar at the age of 10. Over the years, he found inspiration from a myriad of different guitarists and styles including David Gilmore and Buck Dharma. Satchel eventually landed at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, where he connected with his glam rock Steel Panther bandmates.

For Satchel, Charvel was always number one. “In the ‘80s, Charvel was it,” said Satchel. “All the cool guitar players were playing Charvel. It’s always been a goal of mine to have a Charvel model at some point and I think I’ve achieved that.”

That box has been checked in 2018 with the introduction of his brand new Satchel Signature Charvel Pro-Mod DK model. The axe is a bright burst of fluorescent yellow finished off with a striking Bengal pattern that is matched only by the rockers personality. With two Fishman® Fluence Classic pickups and a Floyd Rose® 1000 series tremolo, the guitar is built with metal in mind.

“Fishman® pickups are the best pickups on the market as far as I’m concerned,” said Satchel. “They sound heavy metal. You can probably plug it in to your grandmother’s refrigerator and just turn the refrigerator up to 10, and it would sound like a modded Eddie Van Halen on Van Halen 1.”

Want more details about his new sig axe? Watch the full interview by hitting play on the video below.

Internationally renowned glam rock act Steel Panther has dropped its latest effort on the masses and despite the album’s title, fans should raise their expectations for Lower the Bar.

“I think we’ve expanded, frontman Michael Starr explained to Billboard. “Our style is still the same formula, I guess, but we’ve changed it up a bit. I could say that we used to sing about pussy and partying; now we’re singing about partying and pussy, but the reality is we did switch up a few things. It’s a really solid, fun, intelligent party record. We’re just maturing as a band after being on the road for years together and living together. It shows.

“It’s hard to put into words without sounding like a typical review, but it feels different to me. It feels like we’re doing some melody lines we normally wouldn’t do on a couple of sings, different kinds of moods and not necessary just ‘Dr. Feelgood’. There’s some different stuff in there, but everything’s open for interpretation.”

Co-produced with longtime collaborator Jay Ruston, the album features 11 new songs with another two tracks available on a Best Buy deluxe edition. In true form for the kings of debauchery, song titles range from “Pussy Ain’t Free” to “Poontang Boomerang” and “Goin’ in the Backdoor.”

Sample the effort below with the new video for “I Got What You Want,” which was filmed during Steel Panther’s sold-out 2016 U.K. arena tour and features Satchel tearing away at his Custom Charvel Dinky Bengal Striped.